What to Expect From a Medical Weight Loss Diet

Losing extra pounds can transform the way you look and the way you feel about yourself. But improving self-confidence is just one major benefit of dropping those extra pounds. Losing weight also offers dramatic benefits for your physical health, including reduced risks of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia, and even some types of cancer.

A leader in telehealth medical weight loss treatment for patients in Chesterfield, Missouri, and McKinney, Texas, STL Medical Weight Loss takes a custom, individualized approach focused on helping each patient succeed. In this post, Joseph Moleski, DO, and Margaurette Walsh, PA-C, offer a brief overview of some key components of effective medical weight loss.

Medical evaluation

Medical weight loss begins with a complete medical exam and a review of your medical history to accomplish two primary goals: to identify issues that could interfere with your weight-loss attempts and to help establish a new plan designed for success.

In addition to a physical examination, our team often orders lab testing to look for nutritional deficiencies or other underlying issues that could be driving cravings or specific eating behaviors. We also review your lifestyle, including your physical activity routine, work habits, and stress level. All these factors can play a role in weight loss and weight management once your target weight goal is met.

Personalized eating plan

Your personalized eating plan is at the center of your weight-loss program. Each eating plan is based on your unique nutritional needs, work, and lifestyle habits that could contribute to specific types of eating behaviors. (For example, people with time management issues might fall back on processed or fast foods as regular dietary options.)

Your eating plan focuses on nutrient-dense food options that appeal to your taste and preferences. In some cases, we may recommend or prescribe meal options that focus on nutrition without overloading on calories or unhealthy fats, sugars, or salt.

Nutritional supplements

Many people who struggle with weight loss and weight management also suffer from undiagnosed nutritional deficiencies or unbalanced nutrition. When your body is “missing” the nutrients it needs to function properly, it can drive food cravings that lead to unhealthy food choices or behaviors like binge eating.

In these instances, our team prescribed vitamins, minerals, or other nutritional supplements to replace “missing” or depleted nutrients. We also may prescribe them during dieting to ensure you’re receiving optimal nutrition as you decrease your calorie intake.

Behavior modification

Our eating behaviors can be strongly influenced by our lifestyle habits and personal behaviors and beliefs. Learning how to recognize behaviors that drive unhealthy eating — and how to change those behaviors and beliefs — is essential for losing weight and keeping it off.

Our team will work with you to explore behavioral modification options, including therapy focusing on “unlearning” negative patterns and replacing them with healthy, motivating, affirming behaviors supporting your new, healthy lifestyle. Therapy can also help you learn how to manage stress and the unhealthy eating patterns it can cause.

Regular check-ins and ongoing support

Losing weight can be challenging, especially if you feel alone on your journey. With medical weight loss, our team works closely with you through regular check-ins to assess your progress and adjust your plan as needed.

Regular visits also enable our team to provide the guidance and support you need to stay focused and on track. Plus, we can point you to additional resources to aid your success.

Weight loss medications

Our team offers both semaglutide and tirzepatide, injectable medications that help balance blood sugar and insulin. Both medications are prescribed and managed via telehealth. Dr. Moleski helps you learn how to inject the medications yourself, so you don’t have to worry about frequent trips to our office.

These medicines enable your body to process calories and glucose more efficiently, so you can lose more weight. They also slow digestion, so you feel full longer and eat less.

Both medicines work best when combined with a healthy diet plan and regular physical activity. As part of a comprehensive weight management plan, weight-loss medicines can help you lose weight more efficiently while offering other health benefits.

Learn more about medical weight loss

Losing weight can boost your confidence and self-esteem, but it’s also vitally important for your physical health. If you’d like to learn how to achieve your weight-loss goals and maintain a healthier weight in the future, call or book an appointment online with STL Medical Weight Loss today.